Wire-and-picket-fence machine



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W. DIXON.

WIRE AND PIUKBT PENCEMAGHINE N0.`878,'77'7. Patented Feb. 28, 1888,

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W. DiXoN.

WIRE AND PIKET FENCE MACHINE 180.878,77?. Patented Pebl 28, 1888.v

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VILLIAM DIXON, OF CLAY CENTRE, KANSAS.

WIRE-AND-PCKET-FENCE MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,777, dated February Z8, 1888.

Application filed November 12, 1887. Serial No. 254,991. (No model.)

To cir/ZZ whom z5 may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM DIXON, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Clay Centre, in the county of Clay and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and `view showing bearings and box F. Fig. 4t is a side elevation of modified form. Fig. 5 is an end View of same. Fig. 6 is a plan view of lever J.

rlhe invention relates to improvements in machines for building wire fences, pertaining more particularly to mechanism for extending and making taut the wires; and it consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings byletter, A designates a frame composed of the two parallel upright beams a a', secured together by suitable cross-pieces, as shown, and having the ends of the outwardly-converging beams B b secured between them. The said beams B b are firmly secured together at their meeting point b', and the upper beam, B, has formed upon its upper edge the rack C, having the shoulders c, the teeth of which are outward.

At a suitable number of points between the beams a a, according to the number of sets of wires to be extended and made taut, are journaled the pairs of rollers D D, the rollers of each pair being equally high.

E is a third roller journaled centrally above the rollers D invertically-sliding boxes F that move in suitable slots in the beams a.

Gis a leverbar passing between the said beams and resting upon the roller E. By means of said lever the roller E can be forced down upon the rollers DD, so as to clamp the wires x passing over said rollers and under therollerE. Whenthewiresarethus clamped, the lever is heldv down by the rod f, which passes through suitable openings in the beams a a and bears down on the lever.

H is a leverbar pivoted at a suitable point of its length upon the reduced conjoined ends b of the beams B b, the said ends passing into a slot, h, in the lever.

i is a detent-bar pivoted in a slot, 7L, in the lever H, near the upper end thereof, the upper end of the lever H, above the slot h', being formed into a handle, I. The bar t has its inner end beveled to engage the rack C. l

J is a retaining-bar having the lower end of the lever H pivoted between thearms of its bifurcated end, the opposite end of the said bar being adapted to be engaged to a proper support, such as a fence-post.

In operation the pairs of wires are passed between the beams a, over the corresponding rollers D D, and clamped by the rollers E and levers G, as described, the retaining-bar having been attached to a fence-post or other suitable support. The upper arm of the lever H is then drawn outward by means of its handle I till the wires have been sufficiently extended and tightened, atwhich degree of extension they are held by the point of the detent-bar falling l into the adjacent notch ofthe rack. The pulling outward of the handle of the lever necessarily moves the frame A, between the rollers of which the wires are clamped, toward the part to which the retaining-bar is connected, as the lower arm of the lever is thereby moved inward. This operation is repeated as often as necessary, usually after the insertion of each picket between the wires.

A modification of the invention consists in making the rollers E semi-cylindrical, with their fiat sides upward, and forcing them downward by means of tapered keys K, which pass through suitable openings, 7c k, in the side beams, a a, as shown.

If desired, the rollers D D may have their ends squared and fixed in the side beams, whereby they will be prevented from revolving, and the rollers E may be made of a length equal to the space between the uprights a a of the frame.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination, with the main frame, composed of the two upright parallel side beams and suitable transverse pieces, lof the transverse pairs of rollers between said beams, the vertically-movable roller centrally above each of said pairs, a clamping-bar to force and 5 hold said movable roller down on the wires passing over the corresponding set of rollers, and the mechanism, substantially as described, whereby the main frame is moved and held in the direction to extend and tighten the clamped 1o wires, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the main frame provided with the side beams,a a, the pairs of rollers D D, the vertically-moving rollers E, the clamping-lever bars G, and retaining-rods 15 f, of the mechanism, substantially as described, whereby the main frame is drawn and held in the direction to extend and tighten the clamped wires, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the main frame, pairs of rollers, vertically-movable rollers, and 2o clamping-bars, of the beams Bb,secured to the main frame and converging thence to their meeting ends, the rack on the upper edge of the beam B, the lever H, provided with the handle I, the detent-bar pivoted to the lever 25 below the handle, and the retaining-bar pivoted to the lower end of the lever H, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM DIXON.

Witnesses:

A. A. GODARD, A. M. SToU'r. 

